Nadia Caidi
Associate Professor
Education:
Ph.D. – Library and Information Science, University of California at Los Angeles, 2001
MLIS – Library and Information Science, University of California at Los Angeles, 1997
MST (Maîtrise en Sciences et Techniques) – Communications Studies, Université Stendhal, France, 1993
DEUG – Linguistics and Psychology, Université Lumière Lyon 2, France, 1990
Int'l Baccalaureate – Lycée International de Ferney-Voltaire, France, 1988
Administrative responsibilities:
Faculty of Information
- Programs Committee: Chair, MI program.
Other
- Governance Board member, the Joint Center of Excellence for Research on Immigrationand Settlement (CERIS)
- Affiliate faculty member, Centre d' Etudes Franco-Ontariennes (CREFO), University of Toronto
Past responsibilities:
Faculty of Information
- Faculty liaison for Collaborative Program in Knowledge Media Design
- Chair of MISt Program, 2008-2010
Biography:
Nadia Caidi is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Information. She holds a MST in Communications from the University Grenoble 3 (France) and an MLIS and Ph.D. in Information Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Dr. Caidi's research interests are in information policy (particularly access to information issues and information rights). She is also involved in cross-cultural and comparative studies, researching the influence of culture on the production, distribution and use of information and its technologies. She has conducted research on information needs, uses and practices or various communities, including newcomers and immigrants, Aboriginal people, and other vulnerable communities.
She has received funding from a wide range of sources: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities; Human Resources and Social Development Canada; and the A.W. Mellon Foundation among others.
She has published her work in such peer-reviewed journals as: the Journal of Information Science, The Information Society Journal, Library Quarterly, Library and Information Science Research, Government Information Quarterly, the Annual Review of Science and Technology.
Honours & awards:
Top Three Submitted Abstracts (“Online Participation and Information Inclusion: A study of Internet users with vision impairments.” (with S. Chandrashekar)). Canadian Association for Information Science, Montreal, June 2010.
Students’ class projects (in INF 1300 – Foundations of Library and Information Science) selected to represent the University of Toronto campus in the Dare to Remember Challenge organized by the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Students and instructors invited to spend the day/evening with author and social activist, Naomi Klein, 2010.
Winner of the James M. Cretsos Leadership Award by the American Society for
Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T). Awarded to a member who has
demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities in professional ASIS&T activities, 2006.
SIG-of-the-Year Award for the Special Interest Group on International Issues in
Information (Chair: Nadia Caidi). American Society for Information Science and
Technology (ASIS&T), 2006.
Student Experience Program Award for “Research Library Adoption of Open Access Electronic Journals and Digital Libraries.” Project Open Source/Open Access Student Experience Program (with Prof. Leslie Chan). Student Awardee: Jen Sweezie, 2006.
Award for the Best New SIG-III Project: The Global Information Village Plaza. The
American Society for Information Science and Technology. (with Michel Menou), 2003.
Selected to participate in the 35th Graduate Study Program organized by the United Nations Office. Theme: "Reforming the United Nations for the 21st Century" (Working Group on Sustainable Development). Geneva, Switzerland, 1997.
Top Paper in Communication and Technology Division, International Communication Association Annual Meeting. “Momentum, Resistance and the Construction of the Information Superhighway: a Pilot Study Using Socio-Technical Analysis.” (with Leah A. Lievrouw). Montreal, Quebec, 1997.
Research highlight:
Professor Caidi pursues her research on the information practices of vulnerable communities. In one of her projects, she helped with the integration of the On Demand Book Service, permitting easy access to reading materials and providing ODBS-related equipment to people of First Nation communities.
Research description:
The State of Information Post 9/11
The objectives of this research project are to examine the legislation, policies and practices around "information" and informational activities in various countries, following the 9/11 attacks. In their quest for protecting citizens and enhancing national and global security, many governments have increasingly tightened control over the production, management and diffusion of any information deemed of a sensitive nature. This research project examines the significance and the consequences of such practices for various sectors of society, including the media and publishing sectors, the scientific and academic circles, civil society, and ultimately the broader public.
Information Practices of Ethno-Cultural Communities (IPEC)
The quality of information and one's efficiency in acquiring and processing it is critical for new immigrants’ adjustments to their adopted country. The aim of the IPEC study is to inform our understanding of the information practices of ethno-cultural communities in the Greater Toronto Area. There are various components to this research:
Information Resources and Social Inclusion
The findings of the IPEC study will provide insights to frontline information providers about the types of information needed by individuals to deal with situations encountered in their everyday lives, along with the choice of information sources, and successful outcomes. The findings will serve to influence government programs and funding priorities concerning information provision and access strategies to improve inclusion of these communities into the Canadian social fabric.
Designing Culturally-Sensitive Interfaces and Content
The study includes needs assessment and design of culturally-sensitive interfaces and culturally-relevant content for a variety of groups (health information for immigrant women; social services for refugees, etc.).
Digital Libraries For and With Aboriginal Communities (DLAC)
Aboriginal communities have faced tremendous challenges in establishing libraries for their people in what are often remote and isolated communities. The aim of this project is to assess the feasability of developing digital libraries that are culturally relevant and meaningful to the ways of knowing of the aboriginal communities of Norther Ontario. For the purpose of this project, we partnered with the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO), a treaty council representing six First Nations communities in Ontario's far north. In partnership with members of the community, our aim is to develop a strategy to create a digital library for elementary and secondary school students. KO is an ideal partner to work with in order to devise ways in which digital libraries can be developed to complement their existing knowledge and learning infrastructure (K-Net) along with their other great initiatives such as KiHS, the Internet High School or the TeleHealth initiative.
As part of DLAC, an On Demand Book Service is being developed. For more information, check the DLAC website.
The Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN)
The CRACIN project (PIs: Andrew Clement, Michael Gurstein, Marita Moll, and Leslie Shade) examines the role and impact of community networking initiatives. Within this broad initiative, I am the project leader for a study on "Community Networking and Libraries," whose aim is to assess the opportunities and challenges afforded to libraries by the advent of new types of organizations (eg., community networks) that increasingly provide services traditionally offered by libraries.
Global Information Village Plaza
Building on the success of the first Global Information Village Plaza, organized in 2002 at the American Society of Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) conference, follow-ups were designed in 2003 and 2004, all of which maintained the interactive format (aimed at giving ASIS&T members an opportunity to express their personal views about the challenges and opportunities that the so called "information society" represents in their personal and professional lives) and adding new features.
More information on the Global Information Village Plaza is available on the SIG-III website.
Also see the special issue of the Bulletin of ASIS&T on the "Global Information Village Plaza". 31(4), April/May 2005.
Technologies of Democracy
In the past decade, the digital democracy literature has witnessed a departure away from purely deterministic approaches that view ICTs as a technical 'fix' and toward a more balanced view of the combined potential of technology, democracy and communication. In this research, we examine empirically the validity of three core claims of digital democracy that arise from the various initiatives and studies (Jankowski & van Selm, 2000; Tsagarousianou, 1999; van Dijk & Hacker, 2000) namely, obtaining information, engaging in deliberation, and participating in decision- making).
The user group chosen is the student body at a major Canadian university. University students are in that specific age group and category of users that are portrayed as the less resistant groups in adopting new technologies. Our aim was to explore how university students are using computer networks to participate in civic life, especially as it relates to their involvement in (and input on) higher education policies and university life. By extension, the role of ICTs in the development and sustainability of the student community in a university environment will be examined. In the process, there are many questions that will be raised, particularly around the notion of access to and reliability of public information; equality of access to infrastructure and information services, protection of privacy, and quality of discourse.
For more about Nadia's research, please visit her website.
Selected publications:
Articles
Caidi, N., Allard, D., & Quirke, L. (2010). "The Information Practices of Immigrants" Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST). Vol. 44, 493-531.
Caidi, N. & MacDonald, S. (2008). "Information Practices of Canadian Muslims Post 9/11" Government Information Quarterly, 25(3): 348-378.
Chandrashekar, S. & Caidi, N. (2007). "A model for inclusive design of digital libraries." ACM-IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL), Vancouver, BC. Pp. 245-246.
Caidi, N. (2006). "Building 'Civilizational Competence': A New Role for Libraries?" Journal of Documentation, 62(2): 194-212.
Caidi, N. & Ross, A. (2005). "Information Rights and National Security.” Government Information Quarterly, 22(4): 663-684.
Caidi, N. & Allard, D. (2005). "Social Inclusion of Newcomers to Canada: An Information Problem?" Library and Information Science Research, 27(3): 302-324.
Bailey, S. & Caidi, N. (2005). "How Much Is Too Little? Privacy and Smart Cards in Hong Kong and Ontario." Journal of Information Science, 31(5): 354-364.
Ross, A. & Caidi, N. (2005). "Action and Reaction: Libraries in the Post 9-11 Environment." Library and Information Science Research, 27(1): 97-114.
Caidi, N. (2004). “The Politics of Library Artifacts: The National Union Catalog.” Library Quarterly, 74(3): 337-369.
Caidi, N. (2004). “National Information Infrastructures in Central and Eastern Europe: Perspectives from the Library Community.” The Information Society Journal, 20(1): 25-38.
Caidi, N. (2003). “Cooperation in Context: Library Developments in Central and Eastern Europe.” Libri, 53(2): 103-117.
Caidi, N. (2001). "Interdisciplinarity: What Is It and What are its Implications for Information Seeking?" Humanities Collections, 1(4): 35-46.
Book
Caidi, N. (In Preparation). "A Right to Know? Access to Information in a Post 9/11 World" To be published by Blackwell Publishing (in their International Communication Association/Blackwell Series on “Communication in the Public Interest”). 2011.
Conference Papers
"Working with First Nations: The On-Demand Book Service.” (with Margaret Lam). BooksOnline'10 Workshop at the 19th ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM) 2010. October 26, 2010. Toronto. ON.
“Online Participation and Information Inclusion: A study of Internet users with vision impairments.” (with S. Chandrashekar). Canadian Association for Information Science, Montreal, June 2-4, 2010.
“Texting Home: Examining the mobile phone practices of student newcomers to Toronto.” (with Rhonda McEwen). Canadian Association for Information Science, Montreal, June 2-4, 2010. [Extended Abstract refereed].
“Multiculturalism and national security: Reconceptualizing citizenship ten years after 9/11.” Panelist for the Roundtable on Redefining National Citizenship: Naturalization, Integration, and Diversity (organized by Elke Winter). 12th National Metropolis Conference, Montreal, March 18-22, 2010.
“Including Immigrants in Canadian Society: What role do ICTs play?” Session on “ICT-Mediated Diaspora Studies: New Directions in Immigrant Information Behavior Research.” The American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST), Columbus, OH, October 24-29, 2008. (With Danielle Allard and Diane Dechief).
“The Inclusion of Open Access Journals in Academic Libraries: A Case Study of
Bioline International.” (2007). ELPUB2007 Conference on Electronic Publishing, Vienna (Austria), June 13-15, 2007. (With Jen Sweezie & Leslie Chan).
"A Model for Inclusive Design of Digital Libraries." (2007). ACM-IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL), Vancouver, June 13-17, 2007. (With Sambhavi Chandrashekar).
"The Everyday Information Practices of New Immigrants to Canada: Findings from the IPEC Study." Presentation to the Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS) conference. Montreal, May 10-12, 2007.
“Including Immigrants in Canadian Society: What role do ICTs play?” (2007). Presentation to the 9th National Metropolis Conference on Immigration and Settlement Issues. Toronto, March 1-4, 2007. (With Danielle Allard). [Abstract refereed].
“Information, Globalization and Cultural Diversity.” United Nations University-Korean National Commission for UNESCO (UNU-KNCU) Global Seminar, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. July 18-22, 2006. [Invited contribution].
“Information Practices of Ethno-Racial Communities.” Presentation at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference, Toronto, ON, February 3-6, 2005. [Abstract refereed].
"The Everyday Information Practices of New Immigrants to Canada: Findings from the IPEC Study."(2007). Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS) conference. Montreal, May 10-12, 2007. (With Danielle Allard).
In Books
Caidi, N., MacDonald, S. & Chien, E. (Forthcoming). “Community Networks and Libraries: Strengthening Ties to Communities” (35 pages). In A. Clement et al. (eds). CRACIN Papers Edited Volume. Athabasca University Press.
Caidi, N. (2004). "Beyond Technology: Power and Culture in the Establishment of National Union Catalogs." In A. Lass & R.E. Quandt (eds). Union Catalogs at a Crossroad. Hamburg University Press, pp.123-139.
Komlodi, A., Caidi, N. & Wheeler, K. (2004). "Cross-Cultural Usability of Digital Libraries." In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of Asian Digital Libraries (Shanghai, Dec. 13-15, 2004). Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) Series. Springer-Verlag. pp. 584-593.
Borgman, C.L. & Caidi, N. (1999). “Developing National Information Infrastructures in Central and Eastern Europe: the Content vs. Conduit Debate.” In A. Lass & R.E. Quandt (eds). Library Automation in Transitional Societies: Lessons from Eastern Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 28-44.
In Proceedings
Caidi, N. & Lam, M. (2011). "Reading in First Nations and the On-demand Book Service." Proceedings of the 2011 iConference. ACM Press, 651-652.
Chandrashekar, S. & Caidi, N. (2007). "A Model for Inclusive Design of Digital Libraries. " Proceedings of the ACM-IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries. ACM Press, pp. 245-246.
Seow, K. & Caidi, N. (2005). "Information Practices of Baby Boomers as Caregivers" Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science, London, ON. (On CD-ROM).
Hall, S. & Caidi, N. (2003). "Technologies of Democracy: Participation and Access In the University Environment" Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science , pp.19-3.
Caidi, N. (2001). "The Social Shaping of National Union Catalogs: Lessons from Central and Eastern Europe" Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science , pp. 307-314.
Caidi, N. (2001). "Technology and Values: Lessons from Central and Eastern Europe" In Proceedings of the ACM-IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries. ACM Press. pp. 173-174.
Miscellaneous
Caidi, N., Young Rieh, S. & Oyarce, G. (2010). "Collaborative information seeking and sharing: The 9th Symposium of SIG/USE." Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 36 (3): 39-41.
Caidi, N. & Allard, D. (2005). "Social Inclusion of Newcomers to Canada: An Information Problem?" Policy Matters Series, 23 (December). CERIS. Toronto, Ontario.
Caidi, N. & Menou, M. (2005). “The Global Information Village Plaza.” Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science & Technology, 31(4): 7-18.
Caidi, N. & Ross, A. (2005). “To Serve and Protect? Privacy and Libraries in the Post-9/11 Information Environment.” Feliciter, 51(1): 89-91.
Caidi, N. & Allard, D. (2005). “The Information Needs and Uses of New Immigrants and their Implications for Social Inclusion.” International Settlement Canada (INSCAN), 18(4): 6-8.
Caidi, N. (2004). "Youth, ICTs and Civic Participation." Special Issue on "Engaging Canada's Youth." Canadian Issues/Themes Canadiens (Journal of the Association of Canadian Studies), Fall 2004: 14-16.
Caidi, N. & Komlodi, A. (2003). "Digital Libraries Across Cultures: Design and Usability Issues." SIGIR Forum, 37(2): 62-64.
Caidi, N. & Komlodi, A. (2003). "Cross-Cultural Considerations In Digital Library Research" D-Lib Magazine, 9(7/8). Online document.
Invited Speaker
“Restrictions on Access to Information as a Transnational Free Speech Problem Post-9/11” Talk given to the Symposium on “Anti-Terrorism Laws and Freedom of Expression: Comparative and Transnational Developments.” (Organized by Prof. Sandra Braman). University of Bergen, Norway, October 6-7, 2008.
“Canadian Immigration and Social Inclusion: What Roles do ICTs Play?” Talk given to Human Resources and Social Development Canada. [Talk given by Danielle Allard and Diane Dechief]. Ottawa, September 16, 2008.
“Immigrants’ Information Seeking Behaviour and Implications for Social Inclusion.” Talk given to Citizenship Immigration Canada and Metropolis officers. Ottawa, February 7, 2008.
"How to Moderate a Panel" Leadership Development Program. American Society for Information Science and Technology, Austin, TX, November 5, 2006.
“Information, Globalization and Cultural Diversity.” United Nations University-Korean National Commission for UNESCO (UNU-KNCU) Global Seminar, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. July 18-22, 2006.
“Framing Information and Access Post 9/11: Perspectives from Canadian Libraries." World Criminal Justice Library Conference, Montreal, Quebec, June 5-7, 2006.
“Libraries Post 9/11: Privacy & Security Issues.” Teleconference session for the Education Institute (a partnership network of provincial and territorial library associations in Canada). March 29, 2006.
“Information Rights and National Security.” Seminar given to the Cultural Policy Forum, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. March 24, 2006.
“Privacy Post 9/11: Perspectives from Canadian Muslims” Workshop on "Privacy from an intercultural and interdisciplinary perspective." The Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) at the University of Bielefeld, Germany. February 10–11, 2006.
Posters
A. Cortinois, A. Jadad, N. Caidi, & R. Glazier. (2007). “Supporting recent immigrants in their effort to access information on health and health-related services: The case of 211 Toronto." Poster at the American Public Health Association Annual Conference, Washington DC, November 3-7, 2007.
J. Sweezie, N. Caidi & L. Chan. (2007). “The Inclusion of Open Access Journals in Academic Libraries: A Case Study of Bioline International.” (2007). Poster at ELPUB2007 Conference on Electronic Publishing, Vienna (Austria), June 13-15, 2007.
Caidi, N., Allard, D. & Luk, C. (2007). "Locating Public Libraries in a Multicultural Society: A Spatial Mismatch?" Poster at the OLA SuperConference, Toronto, January 31-February 3, 2007. Poster also presented at the Canadian Library Association (CLA), May 24-27, 2007, St John, NF.
Bishop, A., Caidi, N., & Jackson, S. (2006). “New Directions in Community Informatics Research.” Workshop organized at the I-Schools 2nd annual meeting. Ann Arbor, MI.
Caidi, N. & Clement, A. (2004). “The Future of Libraries in the Community Networking Era: The Canadian Experience.” Poster at the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST). Providence, RI. November 14-18, 2004.
Project Reports
“Information Practices of Ethno-Cultural Communities”, 10 April 2008 http://ceris.metropolis.net/Virtual%20Library/RFPReports/CaidiAllard2005.pdf
“L’école franco-ontarienne et les jeunes issu-e-s de l’immigration” With Monica Heller and Diane Farmer. Joint Center of Excellence on Research on Immigration and Settlement.
Technical Report
Caidi, N., Allard, D., & Dechief, D. (2008). “Information Practices of Immigrants to Canada – A Literature Review”. Submission to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (and Metropolis). March 31, 2008. (66 pages).
Caidi, N., Allard, D., Dechief, D. & Longford, G. (2008). “Including Immigrants in Canadian Society: What Role Do ICTs Play?” Final Report submitted to Human Resources & Social Development Canada. May 1, 2008. (95 pages). [Interim Report submitted on March 30 2007].
Caidi, N. & Chien, E. (2005). “Libraries in the Social Economy: A Report of the Community Networks and Libraries Broad-Based Study.” Third CRACIN workshop, Vancouver, BC, February 25-27, 2005. (14 pages).
Caidi, N. & Chien, E. (2004). “Report of the Community Networks and Libraries Broad-Based Study.” Second CRACIN workshop, Ottawa, ON, October 26-28, 2004. (8 pages).
Caidi, N. & Chien, E. (2004). “Broad-Based Study on Libraries and Community Networks.” First CRACIN workshop, Montreal, QC, May 14-16, 2004. (4 pages)
Caidi, N. (2004). “The Use and Usability of National Union Catalogs: A Cross-Cultural Analysis.” Report to the A.W. Mellon Foundation, March 30, 2004. (7 pages + Appendices)
Caidi, N. & Borgman, C.L. (2000). "The Information Infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe: A Case Study of the Library Community." Report to the A.W. Mellon Foundation, August 2000. (16 pages + Appendices)
PhD Thesis
“The Information Infrastructure as a Discursive Space: A Case Study of the Library Community in Central and Eastern Europe.”
Supervision:
PhD
- Rhonda McEwen, 2005-2009.
- Sambhavi Chandrashekar, 2005-2010. (Co-advised with S. Hockema)
- Danielle Allard, 2004-present.
- Melissa Fritz, 2005-present.
- Susan MacDonald, 2006-present.
- Diane Dechief, 2006-present.
- Lisa Quirke, 2007-present.
MISt
- Elise Chien. “Informing and Involving Newcomers Online: A Study of Settlement.Org”. Completed 2005.
- Pia Russell, “Information Literacy and Education Policy: An Instrumental Case Study of the Ontario Public School Curriculum. Completed 2004.
Affiliations & collaboration:
- Knowledge Media Design Institute (University of Toronto) (KMDI)
- Joint Center of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS)
- Information Policy Research Program (IPRP), Faculty of Information Studies (Toronto)
- Center for Innovation Law and Policy (CILP), University of Toronto
- Centre d' Etudes Franco-Ontariennes (CREFO), University of Toronto
Year joined the iSchool:
2000 